An analysis of 24 journals and more than 2,000 editorial board members, based on public data from October 2024 to December 2024, finds that decisions about tropical medicine research remain dominated by wealthy countries. Two thirds of board members were identified as men and more than half came from high‑income nations, while fewer than 3 per cent came from low‑income countries. Regional representation was low where the diseases are most common: Latin America 16 per cent, Sub‑Saharan Africa 11 per cent, South Asia 10 per cent and the Middle East and North Africa 3 per cent.
The authors point to a clear geopolitical divide: 40 per cent of board members come from G7 countries and two‑thirds from G20 countries, whereas BRICS countries account for less than a quarter. They warn that these imbalances can influence which research questions are prioritised and how studies are judged. The analysis also links editorial imbalance to funding patterns: global funders give 75 per cent of direct and 70 per cent of indirect neglected tropical disease funding to leading institutes in non‑endemic nations. According to the authors, this can improve infrastructure in wealthier countries but perpetuate colonial relationships through sample collection, while the voices of people in low‑ and middle‑income countries—about 85 per cent of the world’s population—remain marginalised.
Experts quoted in the piece described the field as having colonial roots and called editors the gatekeepers of knowledge. The authors propose practical steps to rebalance power and align research with local needs:
- Adopt mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion policies
- Create mentorship and targeted training for researchers from low‑ and middle‑income countries
- Use inclusive language policies and transparent recruitment for editorial boards
- Build partnerships to identify local editorial talent and fund scientists where tropical diseases occur
The authors say these measures would help set research priorities that match the needs of populations most affected by tropical diseases. The piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Global desk.
Difficult words
- dominate — to have controlling power or influence overdominated
- endemic — regularly present in a particular geographic areanon‑endemic
- marginalise — to treat a group as less important or ignoredmarginalised
- geopolitical — relating to political relations between countries
- funding — money provided to support a project or activity
- gatekeeper — person who controls access to information or resourcesgatekeepers
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could under-representation of low-income countries on editorial boards affect which research questions are chosen?
- Which proposed measure to rebalance power do you think journals could implement most quickly, and why?
- What problems might continue if most funding stays concentrated in non‑endemic wealthy institutions?
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